A New 17
by grookill
Summary: Are you familiar with Chapter 17, where Nabiki is engaged to Ranma? Well, what could happen if Nabiki took the engagement seriously?
1. Akane Gets Mad

This is a work of fiction. In the United States, the characters and situations are property of Viz Communications. I don't know about else where. All the characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
All I claim is, uh, very little.  
  
Thanks go to the folks that looked at this before.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Chapter 1 - Akane Gets Mad  
  
"You teamed up with Nabiki to make fun of me!"  
  
From the door way came Nabiki. "Akane. Don't jump to conclusions. We were making fun of you, but..."  
  
Ranma interjected, "We were definitely not working together."  
  
"We were making fun of you on our own."  
  
"And it was only coincidence that we happened to do it at the same time."  
  
It was a bad day, and this was more than what Akane's temper could take. First, Nabiki ruined her new jacket, and then she found that Nabiki was stealing her clothes, and lastly at dinner, Nabiki sided with Ranma when he said she only looked good in a gi. She clenched her fists and tensed her shoulders. "Please," she said with each word getting louder as she released her anger, I don't want to talk about this...any...more!"  
  
She slammed her fist into the balcony with the same force she normally reserved for shattering concrete bricks. The wood gave way, and with a loud "Crack!"  
  
Akane fell towards the ground and her martial arts training took over as she was able to land on a branch of a tree that stood next to the house. As the adrenaline from the danger receded, she thought of her older sister. Nabiki wasn't a martial artist, and would be seriously hurt falling from the second floor balcony. She turned around to see Ranma land gently on the ground carrying her sister. Nabiki was acting very comfortable in Ranma's arms.  
  
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close."  
  
As he lowered her, Akane heard Nabiki's say in a voice that was sweet and flirtatious, "Ranma, you saved me. Thanks!"  
  
Akane watched Ranma let her sister on the ground. Nabiki stood next to Ranma, holding his hand. Suddenly Nabiki let go of his hand and faced Ranma, saying, "You know, this must look pretty bad. For a moment there, you neglected your fiancée."  
  
Ranma put on a defensive face. "It couldn't be helped," he said, "you're a normal defenseless girl, totally unlike Akane." He turned and looked up at Akane. "Right, Akane. You're alright, aren'tcha?"  
  
Akane felt the pressure cooker building up steam again. She looked down at the two of them from her branch, and saw Nabiki almost leaning into the back of her fiancée. "She's flirting with him! My sister is flirting with that, that, pervert."  
  
Ranma's voice filtered into her brain "Right, Akane? You re alright, right?"  
  
Akane watched Nabiki tug at his shirt and whisper something into his ear. She couldn't hear what was said, but had to be a promise of some reward for saving her life. And the only thing that Nabiki could offer Ranma was sex.  
  
Akane fumed, "I don't know how I am any more!" Akane crouched on her branch and leapt forward to give Ranma some behavior correction via her foot. As she flew, she yelled, "Since you think she's so wonderful, why don't you save us all the trouble and become Nabiki's fiancée?"  
  
Akane felt her foot solidly connect with Ranma's head. Then there was an unexpected secondary impact. She rolled onto her feet and saw her stupid fiancée lying on the ground, facing her sister. Both of them had large lumps on their foreheads.  
  
"Suits them right. That pervert and that hussy must have been about to kiss." Akane stormed into the house, leaving the other two lying on the ground.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Ranma woke, and he felt a lump on the back of head and a sting on his forehead where Akane kicked him, but other that, he was fine.  
  
He heard soft breathing very close to his ear. Opening his eyes, he saw Nabiki next to him, lying still and with a tiny rivulet of blood dripping from a contusion on her forehead. He quickly shut down the urge to panic and started to evaluate what else might be wrong with the girl beside him. He knew she was breathing, so she was obviously still alive. She had a small cut on her forehead and what looked to be a large bruise forming there as well. Without touching her, Ranma looked for any other clue as to what may be wrong. He knew that head injuries in martial arts were often accompanied by at least a minor neck injury as well.  
  
He heard Nabiki groan and watched her eyes open after a few tentative blinks. He watched her eyes focus on his, and when she moved her hands to her head, he knew that she was probably going to be all right.  
  
"What happened?" Nabiki asked, as she touched her forehead.  
  
Ranma watched her look at her bloodied fingers for a moment and then answered, "Akane kicked me, knocking me into you."  
  
Nabiki's face winced when she tried to sit up. "Unh! That hurts," she said as she started to lie on the on the ground again.  
  
"You stay here. I'm going to get the first aid kit and Kasumi." Ranma dashed into the house.  
  
Ranma ran into the bathroom to get the first aid kit, and on the way back to Nabiki, he nearly ran into Kasumi. After telling her that Nabiki was laying on the ground outside with a head injury, Kasumi quickly dashed into the laundry room saying that she is getting a blanket and a pillow.  
  
Once outside, Ranma calmed himself and kneeled next to Nabiki. He opened an antiseptic washcloth and washed his hands with it before opening a package of gauze. He gently pressed the white gauze on her head and slowly applied pressure. Nabiki winced in pain when he first touched her, but soon relaxed when Ranma stopped increasing the pressure to her wound.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"My head hurts and my butt is freezing."  
  
Ranma smiled at her comment. "Here's Kasumi. She has a pillow and a blanket for you." Ranma helped Nabiki lift her head up while Kasumi slipped the pillow under her head. Ranma instructed Nabiki to hold the gauze on her forehead so he and Kasumi could wrap Nabiki in the blanket for warmth.  
  
Ranma added another gauze to Nabiki's forehead and held it there while Kasumi started to clean her sister's face. While wiping the drying blood off Nabiki's eyebrows, Kasumi asked what happened.  
  
"Not much to tell, Sis. Ranma and I were trying to tell Akane that Ranma and I weren't working together at the dinner table. Then she got mad again and blew apart the balcony. Ranma grabbed me and carried me to the ground, probably saving my life. We saw that Akane was safe in the tree."  
  
Nabiki stopped talking for a moment when Ranma checked the gauze and added another one on top of the two that were already there. Even small cuts like the one she has can bleed a lot before they coagulate.  
  
"That's when she became upset because Ranma saved me and not her. When he tried to explain to her that he knew that she wouldn't be hurt by the fall, she, for no reason at all, jumped off the branch and kicked Ranma in the head, knocking him into me."  
  
Kasumi looked at her sister for a moment and then at Ranma.  
  
In defense, Ranma said, "All I was did was ask was if she wasn't hurt." Ranma pulled the gauze away and saw that the bleeding had stopped. He pulled open another wipe and washed the small gash on her forehead before putting ointment and a clean gauze strip on her head.  
  
Soun came rushing out of the house followed by a large panda. "Ranma! What did you do to my daughter?"  
  
"I didn't do anything. It was Akane that caused this mess"  
  
"My baby girl is up in her room crying, saying that you are now engaged to Nabiki? And that it's her fault?"  
  
Nabiki watched Ranma look at her father. Soun Tendo was a large and imposing man that tended towards emotional outbursts when it came to his daughters. With Nabiki's head bandaged, and apparently Akane was upset in her room, it was only a matter of time before he would start crying.  
  
It took Ranma a moment to respond, "She said I was engaged to Nabiki?"  
  
"She said that she told you that since you cared so much for Nabiki, that you should be engaged to her instead."  
  
"She..." Ranma started.  
  
Nabiki interrupted Ranma. "So that's what that careless and violent idiot yelled when she jumped out of that tree."  
  
"Nabiki!" Kasumi chided.  
  
Nabiki faced her sister, and angrily said, "She slammed a table on Ranma's head, almost ruining dinner. Then she demolished the balcony, almost killing me. And then she recklessly attacked Ranma, giving me this massive headache. She was acting like a violent idiot!"  
  
"So what else is new?" Ranma muttered just barely loud enough for Nabiki to hear.  
  
Nabiki touched her bandage, and looked at the bump on Ranma's head. Visions of the Ranma being hit by Akane every time the fathers try to force them to be together. It was obvious that they liked each other, but it wasn't a healthy relationship. Sooner or later, somebody was going to be seriously hurt by her temper, and it was a matter of luck that Ranma thought of her as the balcony collapsed.  
  
She knew she had a hand in what occurred. She manipulated Ranma to make Akane angry with him with the goal of getting the two of them to admit their feelings towards each other. She furled her forehead and felt the pain again. That plan really went awry.  
  
Admittedly, Nabiki felt that Ranma often deserved the punishment that Akane meted out. As the months went by, however, Ranma never really responded to Akane's behavior correction efforts. What happened a few minutes ago was a completely new level of violence and anger from Akane, and it was uncalled for.  
  
She touched her forehead again; it throbbed with each beat of her heart. More than once she heard Ranma called Akane violent and a tomboy. She even heard Kasumi make some of the same remarks. Even she thought that Akane pushed the bounds a little hard.  
  
Now she was faced with an interesting choice. She could reject Akane's claim and let things go as they have been, or she could accept the engagement. This was a development she didn't plan for. She looked at Ranma and saw that he was waiting for her answer.  
  
"Saotome, we need to talk. Alone." When she saw that Ranma hesitated, she added, "Now."  
  
Ranma carried her to her bedroom, where he placed her on her own bed. She needed to think this through, and having Ranma in her room made it easier for her to stay focused through the pain in head. She squirmed on the bed, and when she was comfortable, she called out to Ranma, "We did a good job this time, didn't we?"  
  
"What did we do? I don't know why she got so mad."  
  
That remark is why her sister and Ranma could never have a long lasting and healthy relationship.  
  
Nabiki wondered if she wanted to be engaged to Ranma? No. She didn't. It wasn't that she didn't like Ranma. It was more along the lines that they were two very different people. He was a socially unskilled, stubborn, immature, egocentric, super-competitive jock. She made her life reading people and taking advantage of situations.  
  
But he did have several good attributes that made him the heart-throb of school. He was good looking, and for the most part an honest, caring, and kind young man that was also just possibly the greatest athlete of her own generation.  
  
Nabiki loved her family dearly. The only thing that approached the level of love was perhaps the vice of greed. She admitted she was greedy. And when she was greedy, she could turn into, as Akane said once, a cold heartless bitch. She didn't think she'd ever sell out her own family, but she knew that everyone had a price. She hoped she would never find hers.  
  
Deep down, for the sake of the family, she knew she needed to be engaged to Ranma. For whatever reason, the Tendo and Saotome agreement had to be held up. Honor was an outdated notion, but it was something that her father, Kasumi and Akane placed a lot of stock into. And to an extent, so did she, but she didn't allow it to rule her life, or so she thought.  
  
She felt the adrenaline wear off and her head was really beginning to hurt. Akane was going to be the death of Ranma, and probably the family if she kept her role. Akane was a decent martial artist, but her skills have not improved significantly for over a year now. Even with Ranma constantly challenging her, she never really improved. She was good enough to teach young children, but Nabiki doubted that her younger sister would ever be good enough to teach advanced classes.  
  
Teaching required patience and calmness. Those were two traits that Akane never showed an abundance of. And in order to get along with Ranma, you needed to have both.  
  
Nabiki sighed with the conclusion that while Ranma and Akane probably do like each other an awful lot, they were actually a poor fit to be husband and wife. Her cooking skills would probably kill Ranma within a month of being married.  
  
Nabiki felt a rage build up in her that she did not know she had. Akane was an embarrassment to the family. She allowed herself to be dragged into the petty fights between Ukyo and Shampoo. She constantly called Ranma a pervert, when it was obvious that he was almost anything but.  
  
If Akane stayed engaged to Ranma and married him, she would certainly harm the family name.  
  
"Akane can be so stupid and stubborn," Nabiki thought. Stubborn was an obvious trait, but stupid was one that popped in Nabiki's mind for the first time in a long time. Nabiki wondered how much longer it would be before Akane realized that Ryoga was P-Chan? Or that Ranma tries to let her know about her pet pig.  
  
She made a note to herself to ask Ranma about his own involvement with Ryoga getting cursed to become a pig when doused with cold water.  
  
"So she dumped Ranma on me," Nabiki thought. She started thinking about how seriously she wanted to treat the engagement. On one hand she could milk it for all the money she could get and then sell Ranma back to Akane. That didn't appeal to her very much. Just because she can make a ton of money doesn't mean that Akane should get Ranma back again. "She doesn't deserve Ranma," she mused.  
  
The thought "and he doesn't deserve me" was whispered in the back of her mind.  
  
This train carrying the thoughts of being engaged to Ranma wasn't easily derailed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to foist Ranma upon Kasumi, and worse yet, she couldn't let Akane have Ranma back for fear of indirectly hurting her father and Kasumi.  
  
She looked over and saw him meditating on the floor of her bedroom. "I guess he's mine now."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Everyone was seated at the table when Ranma carried Nabiki into the common room. After putting her down on the pillow next to her father, he sat down between her and his father. The two then eyed Akane, who, despite the red eyes from crying, still held the posture of anger.  
  
"Well," Nabiki started, "I guess Ranma and I are engaged to each other." She looked around the table for reactions. The fathers had a concerned look on their faces, but kept quiet for the moment. Kasumi sat, as usual, serenely. Akane's expression didn't look like it changed, but somehow Nabiki knew she was a little madder.  
  
Nabiki kept talking, making sure that Akane knew that she was addressing her. "I am not borrowing him. You are giving him up for me to keeps."  
  
Nabiki kept eye contact with her sister, challenging her. She made a show of putting her arm around Ranma's and said, "You understand I am not giving him back."  
  
The knuckles in Akane's fists cracked audibly. "You slutty thief. You can have him. And don't you ever talk to me again! As far as I am concerned, you are not my sister!" Akane turned around and faced the wall, putting Nabiki to her back.  
  
"Oh, my!"  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Later that night, while her new fiancée was changing the bandage on her forehead, Nabiki thought about what needed to happen the next day. Akane's reaction stunned her, for it was far more vehement that she thought possible. Not only was Akane angry with Ranma, but she too was a target of her fury.  
  
Nabiki didn't see how she could profit from her sister without making a bad situation worse. If this were a normal situation where Akane would get mad at Ranma, she could probably milk the situation by renting Ranma out to his other fiancées and perhaps to the sports clubs, eventually charging Akane money to "buy" him back.  
  
This time was different. Her younger sister had declared her dead. Such a declaration was an extreme measure; it meant that Ranma, by being Nabiki's fiancée, would be considered unworthy and unredeemable.  
  
Her father and older sister tried to calm Akane down, but did not have any luck. After Akane finally left for her own room, Nabiki and Kasumi suggested that they all go their own ways for the night to let emotions calm down. Ranma followed her to her own room and was now taking care of her.  
  
After sitting silently for a few moments, Nabiki decided that she wanted to go to bed, so she sent Ranma to his room.  
  
Nabiki lay awake in the middle of the night. Her attempts to fall asleep were rendered ineffective by a turbulent mind that was swimming with a situation that was out of control. Cussing to herself, she threw the covers off and walked into Ranma's room.  
  
In his room she saw that he was sprawled on his back, sound asleep. She was able to quietly rouse him by gently nudging him. Motioning him to be quiet, she led him downstairs to the kitchen. The two looked at each other and started raiding the refrigerator and pantries for snacks.  
  
At the table, Nabiki looked at Ranma and came to a decision. "Ranma," she started, "we are getting married."  
  
Ranma looked up at her and with a mouth full of rice, said, "huh?"  
  
"Honor dictates that a Tendo and the Saotome families be joined. Last night Akane switched the engagement to me, and I accepted it. Yet," Nabiki took a sip of warm tea and wiped her face before continuing, "I don't know exactly why I accepted it. But I do know I'm not like Akane."  
  
"That's for sure. You don't poison or hit me, and you certainly don't get mad for no reason."  
  
She looked at him with a stern face. "Saotome, I need to get a few things clear with you first, then maybe I'll be able to get some sleep.  
  
"First, we are going to get married. I don't know when, but you and I need work that one out before our fathers decide to so something stupid.  
  
"Second, tomorrow is going to be a strange day at school. I don't want you saying anything about us being engaged until I figure how to break the news.  
  
"And third, avoid Akane tomorrow. Don't say more than two words to her. Understand? She'll still be angry, and misconstrue anything you'll say."  
  
Ranma nodded his head in acceptance.  
  
* * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * 


	2. School's in Session

Chapter 2 - School's in Session  
  
Nabiki stopped at the sight of the school gates with a little trepidation. The school was normally a safe place for her, but given the changes the previous night, it may be hostile. She and Ranma walked into the yard and were immediately besieged by several people.  
  
"Are you really engaged to Ranma?"  
  
"I heard that you are carrying Ranma's love child."  
  
"How could you steal Ranma from Akane!"  
  
"How much is he paying you?"  
  
Some of the comments were directed towards Ranma.  
  
"Hey, man. I feel for you."  
  
"Good luck. You are going to need it."  
  
"I hope your wallet never runs out of money."  
  
"Way to go! First Akane, and now her sister!"  
  
Nabiki and Ranma looked at each other, looking for a clue as to how the whole school knew of their new relationship before they even said anything. Just then a piece of paper fluttered by and Ranma caught it. Ranma and Nabiki read it together.  
  
"Official Notice from Akane Tendo. I am no longer engaged to that PERVERT Ranma Saotome. He is now engaged to..." The rest of the paper was illegible, but it was obvious what it said.  
  
The crowd parted when Kuno came to meet Ranma and Nabiki.  
  
"Good morning little brother!"  
  
Ranma looked at Kuno with suspicion while replying, "Little brother? Who..."  
  
Nabiki grinned; this was something she was prepared for. She put her arm around Ranma's, smiled at him with a mischievous look, and said, "Oh, that does make sense!"  
  
Kuno nudged Ranma in a friendly and playful manner. "And so what say you, sister-in-law? Akane shall soon be betrothed to me!"  
  
Ranma looked at Kuno in amusement and realization that he no longer had to defend Akane from him. Now all he and to worry about was his pursuit of "Ranko."  
  
"Come with me, Ranma. We must discant..."  
  
Curious, Ranma followed the bokken wielding upper-classman. This was a situation that would normally have escalated into violence by this point with the know result of Kuno being rendered unconscious. The difference this time was that they had no reason to fight, and Kuno did not challenge him for a fight.  
  
After taking several steps away, just far enough to ensure a modicum of privacy, Kuno faced Ranma and placed his hands on Ranma's shoulders. "Ranma. What you are doing is a brave act."  
  
Ranma looked at taller boy for a moment, trying to decide if he should rip Kuno's arms out his sockets, toss him into the nearby wall, or perhaps simply kick him into next week. When Kuno stepped back and said with tears in his eyes, "You are an honorable man for attempting to redeem the sister of my Fair Akane. If you ever need assistance, please do not hesitate to call! I shall assist you, for I am The BLUE THUNDER!"  
  
Ranma looked at the boy and said the first thing that popped in his head before leaving as the bell rang, "Yeah. Right, Kuno."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
In the classroom a few minutes later, Ranma watched Akane take her seat.  
  
"Hi, Akane."  
  
Slap!  
  
"Pervert!"  
  
Ranma sat in his seat and felt the sting on his cheek. He promised Nabiki earlier he would do anything to get into trouble, and specifically was ordered not to say more than two words to Akane. He said two, and any more would be breaking his promise. So he sat in the chair, wondering what was going to happen next.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Ranma managed to stay awake though the first class and was waiting for the next one to begin when a girl he kind of remembered as being in Nabiki's class came running into the room. After a hurried introduction, she told Ranma of the okonomiyaki.  
  
"What! U-chan challenged Nabiki?" Ranma shouted.  
  
"It sure looked a challenge to me..."  
  
"Aw, shit. Nabiki can't defend herself against Ukyo. I have to save her."  
  
In the back of the gymnasium, Nabiki and Ukyo were staring at each other.  
  
"Oh. So you think that beating me up will get you Ranma? You should know it's not going to be that easy?"  
  
"Oh?" Ukyo queried. She charged with her battle spatula and threatened Nabiki, "We'll see about that!"  
  
Nabiki stepped off to the side in hopes of avoiding the spatula. Just as she saw the blade be blocked by a red and black flash, she tripped and fell hard on her hand.  
  
"Uc-chan!"  
  
Ukyo changed from battle-hardened fighter to sugary-sweet fiancée in an instant. "Hi, Ran-chan!"  
  
Ranma was unhappy with his friend at the moment. "What were you trying to do?"  
  
"Oh, we were just discussing your engagement."  
  
Ranma saw that Ukyo's smile had a slight twitch to it, and that indicated that she was not telling the whole truth. Just as he was about to challenge her, the air filled with a flurry of black rose petals and a shrill laughter.  
  
Ranma's face took a ill look to it. "Oh, god. It Kodachi," he said.  
  
"Oh-ho, ho, ho! So the rumors are true! My darling Ranma is no longer engaged to the lowborn Akane! That must mean that he is free to enjoy my passionate embraces!"  
  
Ranma and Nabiki looked at each other, both knowing where this was going to lead.  
  
"Ranma is not going home with you. He's my fiancée, and he's coming home with me!"  
  
Nabiki pulled out a bag of popcorn, Ranma handed her a can of Calpis, and they both watched the battle begin.  
  
"You spent half your life being confused as to whether or not you are a man or a woman. How could you ever know what true love and desire for man is?"  
  
"Oh, this is great. That comes from a psychotic that thinks nothing of drugging anybody within a hundred meters. You have no idea of what love is!"  
  
"You street peddler! I, a Kuno, am willing to sacrifice my station for such a man. What will you ever do? Raise yourself from the sludge of the streets? Oh, how foul you must smell!"  
  
Ranma held up a sign that said, "9.1" Nabiki's sign held up "9.3". The both took a handful of popcorn and munched.  
  
Ukyo's response dripped with sarcasm, "Oh? Would such an esteemed Lady such as you resort to assistance in fair competition? Would such a Dame employ the use of drugs and potions when her own feminine wiles fail? Hah! You have no honor; you are beneath a disease ridden rat!"  
  
Ranma looked at Nabiki in puzzlement. She held up a sign that said, "8.9" Ranma thought a second more and held up his sign that said, "9.0".  
  
As Ranma reached for a new handful of popcorn, he suddenly felt that something was wrong in the air. Reacting solely on instinct, he grabbed Nabiki and pulled her to his other side just in time to see a large Chinese mace come smashing down where Nabiki was sitting just moments earlier.  
  
"Shampoo!" Nabiki called out.  
  
Shampoo took an offensive posture next to Kodachi. "I married to Ranma! Other girl obstacle. Obstacle for killing!"  
  
Kodachi took out her trademark ribbon and agreed, "Well, someone else that sees my view point!"  
  
Ranma and grabbed Nabiki and he ran. Ranma kept Nabiki in front of him so the flying spatulas, ribbons and other assorted projectiles, would not hit her. When he thought they were out of immediate danger, he put Nabiki on the ground.  
  
Shampoo's cry of "Nabiki! Die!" was just enough warning for Ranma to pull her aside and to take the blow that was meant for her. Ranma, half dazed, picked Nabiki up again and ran to the tennis courts where he put her down again.  
  
"That hurt." He said.  
  
Nabiki scanned the area. "That was close." She looked at Ranma and saw the spatulas imbedded in hair and the bruises on his face. "Come on Ranma. Let's get you to the doctor."  
  
At Tofu's, Nabiki explained the changes in the Tendo-Saotome relationships while they both treated Ranma's injuries. When they were done, Tofu asked her to wait in the lobby while he talked to Ranma alone for a moment.  
  
"What'cha thinking about, Doc?" Ranma felt the bandages on his head. He had to admit that Nabiki knew what she was doing and had a real nice touch. "Perhaps," he thought, "it was because of all the practice she got on Kuno."  
  
"On a scale of one to ten Ranma," he asked, "how angry do you think Akane was last night?"  
  
Ranma responded without any hesitation, "Eleven."  
  
Tofu watched Ranma for a moment, looking at his body language. "What do you think about Nabiki?"  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders and stretched. "I guess she's okay. She hasn't hit me yet. And she hasn't charged me for anything yet." Ranma thought about that for a moment -- saving her life a few times today should be worth something.  
  
Tofu looked at Ranma for a moment and then started writing something down. "Okay, Ranma. You are free to go."  
  
Ranma left the examination room wondering if Tofu intended to say more. It probably didn't matter, but he was a little curious as to what the doctor was thinking.  
  
On the way home, the two teenagers were quiet. Nabiki was at a loss for words, for Ranma has saved her life twice that day. It was a strange feeling being indebted to someone, and she found it amazing how selfless he was about the whole situation. That unnerved her a little because she wasn't sure if she would be the same way if they switched places.  
  
She found herself worrying about what he thought of her. In the past, his opinion did not matter very much, since it was her sister that was going to marry and live with him. She could take advantage of him with impunity; she had no consequences to pay as long as Ranma and Akane were together. But now she is in the fiancée position, and found it to be an awkward one to be in. Whatever she did from here on out, she would have to live with the consequences of her actions.  
  
Somewhere inside of her, a little seed of insecurity took root. She wanted some sort of assurance that he will be there for her if she was in another danger again.  
  
She sighed and kept walking alongside Ranma. She watched the cracks in the sidewalk pass by for a few dozen steps before speaking. "Ranma. Thank you for saving my life back there."  
  
Ranma almost tripped at what he heard. "Uhm. Yeah. You're welcome."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
At home, the two went their separate ways, Ranma to the dojo, and Nabiki to the kitchen.  
  
There, Nabiki reached into the freezer for an ice cube. She felt a bruise develop on her palm where she caught her fall before Ranma rescued her from the other fiancées and she wanted to reduce the swelling a little. With the cold on her hands, she sighed in relief from the pain and closed the door with her elbow.  
  
"Gah! You startled me!"  
  
Kasumi entered the kitchen with a new bag of groceries. "Nabiki, what are you doing home so early?"  
  
"I needed an ice cube for my bruise." Nabiki held up her slightly swollen palm for Kasumi to see. "My first day as Ranma's fiancee went about as well as I expected. Once the other girls found out I was engaged to Ranma, they went on the hunt."  
  
Kasumi looked at Nabki with alarm. "Are you hurt?"  
  
"Nah. Ranma came and rescued me before anything really happened. I fell when tried to avoid getting hit." Nabiki walked over to the sink and let the water from the melting ice cube drip down the drain. "I need to find a way to control those three. Ranma can't save me all the time."  
  
Kasumi started the stove and placed two kettles of water on the burners. "Well, the other girls are a little aggressive."  
  
"A little aggressive? They wanted to kill me. That is a whole lot aggressive."  
  
"Oh, my. Isn't that a little drastic?"  
  
"Those three? Drastic? No, I'd say that pretty much their normal way of doing things."  
  
"Perhaps you could practice a little. Just enough so you'll be good enough to get away."  
  
Nabiki looked at her sister in disbelief. Nabiki hated martial arts. She didn't like to practice. She didn't like to get sweaty. She didn't like pain. But most of all, she hated the stupid maxims that were constantly spouted insulted her intelligence.  
  
But her sister did have a point; if she was going to run with the herd, she was going to have to learn how to protect herself from the herd.  
  
Nabiki walked into the tea room and plopped in front of the television. With the remote control in her hands, she began looking for something to take her mind off the day. After deciding to watch the news she heard the front door slam followed by loud footsteps in the hallway.  
  
Nabiki turned and saw Akane at the entryway. "Oh. You're still here," Akane said icily before she turned around and left the room.  
  
Nabiki contemplated her day, and everything finally fit together. She turned off the television and went upstairs thinking, "It wasn't coincidence that all three of Ranma's fiancées showed up when they did. Akane arranged the whole thing."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
At dinner, Nabiki sat between her father and Ranma. "Daddy," she started, "I've been thinking." Nabiki used a small bit of her "little girl" approach; it usually worked in getting what she wanted with the least amount of questions or fuss.  
  
"Yes, Nabiki," Soun said as he looked up from his dinner plate.  
  
"If I'm engaged to Ranma," Nabiki said as she wrapped her arm around Ranma's. She felt him flinch when she touched him, but he quickly relaxed. She continued, "I think I should learn a little more of the art. Don't you think?"  
  
"Why, ahem." Soun took up airs as he wiped his face with a napkin, "Of course, I think that's a wonderful idea."  
  
"Can you teach me, Daddy?"  
  
"Certainly. But I think your fiancee would be better suited than I am." He looked over to his partner in the dirty white gi, "Don't you think so, Saotome?"  
  
Genma Saotome pressed his glasses higher on his nose. "It is the duty of every married martial artist to ensure that his spouse understands the basics of his art."  
  
"Oh, no. I'm not training her. No way." Ranma started to back away from the table.  
  
Nabiki dropped the little girl act, and challenged Ranma. "And why not?"  
  
"Because I don't hit girls."  
  
"I'm not asking you to hit me. I'm not asking you to spar with me. I'm asking you to teach me."  
  
"I'm not going to hit you."  
  
"Don't hit me. Teach me. Teach me without hitting me, Mr. Hot-Shot-Martial- Artist. I don't want to get hit."  
  
"Nope. I can't teach you without hitting you."  
  
"What's the matter? You afraid you can't teach your art to someone without hitting them once or twice? Or are you just afraid?"  
  
"I'm not afraid. I just..."  
  
"Then teach me."  
  
Nabiki and Ranma glowered at each other. Finally Ranma acceded to Nabiki's demands, "Okay. We'll start after school tomorrow."  
  
Twenty nine hours later, Nabiki was lying on the floor of her bedroom while Ranma gently worked the muscles in her back and legs. The school day went better than the day before; she wasn't attacked, but she did have to deal with several offers to "buy" or "rent" Ranma. It was hard to refuse most of the offers, and she agreed to only one -- the Martial Arts club wanted to practice against Ranma. Ranma was angry with her when she told him of his obligation, but seemed to have forgotten all about it when he came back from the practice.  
  
Ranma's hands were working like magic on her. She relaxed and felt the stress fade away as he made the pain go away. When he stopped, she felt like a limp rag.  
  
"You did very well today, Nabiki. You're a lot better than I thought you would be."  
  
"Meaning..." Nabiki knew what he was saying, but she wanted to hear the compliment.  
  
"For someone who hasn't done anything for a long time, you remembered the basics really quick. I think in a couple of weeks, you might even be as good as you were when you stopped practicing."  
  
Ranma surprised her. She thought she did a terrible job. She couldn't keep her balance, she felt slow, and she couldn't remember even the most basic katas. What did not surprise her was that Ranma was a gentle teacher. She had a feeling that he was going to be a good instructor after her first thirty seconds with him. He never berated or insulted her. When she fell, he always helped her up. When she couldn't remember something, he prodded her memory until she either remembered or was able to figure out what she forgot. And whenever she wasn't sure of what she was doing, he's smile and tried to boost her confidence.  
  
He was very different than his father. Or that mattered, her own father as well.  
  
Nabiki thought about her past. When she quit years ago, she was better than Akane. In fact, much better than Akane, and it wasn't because she was a year older than her younger sister. Instead, it was because she never used martial arts as a way to work out her anger and aggression. She was able to focus and concentrate on the big things while letting the small things happen as they should. What did her in at the end was that it was impossible for her to become excited about practice or the tests she had to take to advance.  
  
Ranma straddled her thighs and started to give a full back rub. It felt wonderful, and she closed her eyes an occasionally let out a moan of pleasure.  
  
"Perverts!" came the cry from the hall.  
  
"Sounds like Akane's home."  
  
* * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * Chapter 3 - Settling Down  
  
Nabiki sat at the table with her father and Kasumi. Ranma and woken up early that morning and insisted on going for a run. When she complained of sore muscles, he pulled out two asprin and a glass of water. It was hard going at first, but Ranma stayed beside her, extorting her to take the next step.  
  
An hour later, and after taking a soak, she had to admit that the run did loosen her muscles and relieved her soreness. She still hurt, though. Most excruciating was bending over to reach her cup of tea.  
  
"Are you alright, Nabiki?" Kasumi mothered.  
  
Nabiki put her cup down on the table and winced in pain.  
  
Her father looked up from the newspaper. "Are you sure about this, Nabiki?" he asked. He put the paper down and looked at his daughter and continued. "You know it doesn't matter to me which of my daughters marry Ranma. I only want you to be happy with your decision."  
  
"I..." Nabiki started to answer before Kasumi interrupted.  
  
"Father, Nabiki has said that she wants to sell the Dojo and live off the profits."  
  
Soun Tendo rushed to Nabiki and grabbed her shoulders and looked her sternly in her eyes. "Nabiki! You must renounce your engagement to Ranma!"  
  
"No, Father. I won't. I am going to marry Ranma."  
  
"I forbid you! If you sell the Dojo, the school will disappear! That must never happen!"  
  
Nabiki looked into her father's eyes and saw fear and terror in his eyes. She tried to remember when she said she'd sell the dojo, and failed. It wasn't like Kasumi to bring something like that up unless she did make such a statement in the past, so she reasoned that she really might have said that she would sell the Dojo. The circumstances now are certainly different than that of the time she made the offending statement; now she was engaged to a top martial artist who would need the Dojo, and she had just started training after a many year absence. For the moment, she needed it.  
  
She was certain that Ranma would never sell the Dojo unless there was something to replace it. And even then, she doubted that he would sell it even in that case; more than once he called the Tendo compound "home." No, he wouldn't want to sell it, and she doubted that she could convince him if his roots set any deeper.  
  
"Daddy, I'm not going to sell the Dojo. Ranma needs it, and so do I. And if we are ever to start teaching again, we'll need it."  
  
Soun took his arms off his daughter's shoulders and looked at her. "You sure."  
  
"Yes, Father. I promise I will not sell the Dojo." She was happy she left the loop-hole of Ranma possibly selling the Dojo if it became absolutely necessary.  
  
Soun sat back down in his place and grabbed the newspaper. "Good."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Nabiki and Ranma were in her room. Ranma was replacing the bandage on her forehead and making sure there weren't any signs of infection.  
  
"So that whole thing yesterday was set up by Akane?" Ranma asked.  
  
"I think so. I'm almost positive she created the flyers, and I'll bet she made sure that Kodachi and Shampoo knew of Ukyo's challenge."  
  
Nabiki looked at him and saw that he had a crushed look on his face. "You liked her, didn't you?"  
  
"What?!" He paused a moment. "That tomboy? No way!"  
  
Nabiki noticed that Ranma wasn't as vehement as he normally was. "That's okay Ranma, I think I know how you feel."  
  
Ranma put a band-aid on her forehead and back away a little. Nabiki brushed a lock of hair away and curious, leaned up and peered into the mirror. Satisfied that the bruise wasn't too visible and that the band-aid didn't make her look too much like a misfit, she sat down again.  
  
"Ranma, what do you think about our engagement?"  
  
"I dunno. I was engaged to Akane for so long, I guess it hasn't really sat in yet." He looked at the older girl and continued after a pause. "You haven't hit me yet. This is the longest time I think I've ever gone without being hit by a fiancée."  
  
Nabiki smiled.  
  
"And you haven't yet taken all the money I have."  
  
Nabiki looked at him with a hurt face. When Ranma panicked, she smiled at him. "Well, I think that would be pointless. Once we're married, I'll have it all anyway."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Oh, come on Ranma. You did know that the wife is responsible for all financial matters in the household, didn't you?"  
  
Ranma scratched the top of head. "Uh. I guess I do now," he said. Ranma finished putting the first-aid kit back together and then asked, "You're serious aren't you?"  
  
Nabiki captured his eyes, "Didn't my getting you up in the middle of the night for a talk convince you? Or the fact that I'm actually practiced the art for one day mean anything?"  
  
Meekly, Ranma responded with, "I guess you are."  
  
Nabiki grabbed a towel and stood up. "Come on Ranma. You said you were going to show me how to kick this morning."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Bored in class the following Monday, Ranma tossed a note to Akane that simply said, "You still mad?" A moment later it came back to him. He unwrapped it, and read the one word reply, "Idiot!" Being trained that an insult requires a response, he scribbled his response of, "Who's the idiot, idiot?"  
  
The return message was a book thrown at Ranma's face. Inside the book was her reply, "Idiot!" written several times inside its cover.  
  
Ranma slammed the book on his desk and shouted, "Damn it, Akane! Will you quit being so stubborn!"  
  
Akane stood and answered the challenge, "So what! You want to fight about this?"  
  
A moment later, they both found themselves standing the hallway, holding buckets of water. Neither of them looked at each other.  
  
"This is stupid," Ranma said. "You're the one with the hate thing going on."  
  
Akane kept her eyes on the far wall as she responded. "What's wrong? Don't you like Nabiki?"  
  
Ranma looked at Akane as he considered his answer. It was not only what she said, but also how she said it. It almost sounded as a challenge, so he responded in kind, "As a matter of fact, I do like her. She's been nice to me so far, and she isn't prone to strange mood swings. And now that I think about it, she's kinda pretty."  
  
Akane turned to see Ranma looking at her, and he continued, "So still want to fight about it?"  
  
The expression on Akane's face softened a little. "No. It's not worth fighting over."  
  
Ranma thought the expression on Akane's face was kind of cute. "So, are you going to make up with her?"  
  
Akane's face hardened a little for a second and then it relaxed into sadness. "I don't know if I can. What I did was pretty harsh."  
  
"I think Nabiki would forgive you if you asked."  
  
"Me forgive her? She should give me the apology! She took what is mine!"  
  
"But you took them all back. And she promised not to do it again."  
  
"Augh!" Akane threw her bucket at Ranma. "You IDIOT!"  
  
Ranma, now a girl, watched a tear form in Akane's eye. Akane turned and dashed down the hallway.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Ranma met Nabiki under a Sakura tree at the end of lunch. "What did you say to Akane?"  
  
Ranma turned around in embarrassment. "Um, well..." He tried to collect his thoughts for the moment. Nabiki's question meant that Akane ran up to her. "I asked her to apologize to you."  
  
"You mean when you told her that you like me?" The whole school either head Akane calling Ranma an idiot, or had heard about it via an incredibly accurate grapevine.  
  
He liked all the Tendo girls, but he actually said he liked Nabiki, and the whole school knows he said it. He didn't like her in a romantic sort of way, and he certainly wouldn't call her a "best friend". But he did like her. Could he fall in love with Nabiki? Could she be a good wife? He didn't know, but now that he was engaged to her, he had the opportunity to find out. From his point of view, he was still very leery of Nabiki and her mercenary and Machiavellian view of the world, but that was the public persona she had; she may (he hoped) had a more personable side to her in private. At least this time, he had the experience of making mistakes with Akane.  
  
Akane. A pang of regret washed over him when he thought of her. He really did like her, but if his father or her father ever heard that, they would have been married within hours of his admission. He acknowledged his feelings but soldiered on. His father taught him that regrets don't fix the past and that it's better to do better in the future. Eventually, he intellectually knew, he'd get over it.  
  
He quickly looked at Nabiki from the corner of his eye and turned away again. Ranma at the ground and rubbed his hands together in nervousness. He moved his mouth, but he couldn't get his vocal cords to work.  
  
"I didn't hear you, Ranma."  
  
Ranma peeked back towards Nabiki and saw that she was looking away. He guessed by her body language that she had an emotional investment in his answer. Ranma started sweating. "Yeah. I said I like you."  
  
Nabiki came up to Ranma and stood very close to him. She peered up at his face stared into his eyes and asked, "You like me?"  
  
"Yeah. Uh, I like you...."  
  
Nabiki's eyes brightened and she broke into a smile. "Oh! I'm so happy! Nobody ever said they liked me before!"  
  
Ranma stood there, afraid that she was going to give him an Amazon style hug, but when she stood there with a goofy smile on her face and her hands holding her cheeks, he figured he was safe for the moment. The expression on her face changed to something a little more serious, but she still smiled.  
  
"Stay here for a moment, Ranma. I'll be right back."  
  
Ranma leaned against the tree and watched Nabiki run off to a group of boys under a nearby tree. He was trying to make sense of what he said earlier when he made his confession to Akane. It was amazing how so few words could change a person's life. He started to worry that his comment was going to taken out of context. He did like Nabiki, and he hoped that Nabiki wouldn't turn into another Ukyo, Shampoo, or Kodachi.  
  
He turned around and saw Nabiki standing next to him with her hands behind her back. "Hey, um, Nabiki?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Ranma saw some papers drop behind Nabiki. "Oops!" she said  
  
It was easy to see that they were photographs of his girl form. He picked up a few and looked at them. "What are these, exactly?"  
  
Nabiki closed her eyes as she responded, "Oh, Ranma. How would it look if I didn't carry pictures of my fiancée?"  
  
Ranma looked at Nabiki and wasn't fooled. She had a long history of selling pictures of him half naked. He became angry and called her out, "You were selling them."  
  
Nabiki put on a hurt look. "Only the duplicates."  
  
Ranma looked at the photos. On one level, he didn't consider that the girl in the pictures was really him. Ranma Saotome was a male, and the female part was just a curse he had to bear until he could find way to get rid of the damn thing. But, it was him. Everything that happened to her was in his memories. Her life was his. This was one of those situations where he had to accept his curse and deal with his feminine side.  
  
Many of the pictures were of him running around the house, a few were of him in some fight with an unseen opponent. He noted that most of the pictures were of him without a top on, but that didn't bother him, as modesty wasn't something he cared much for. What bothered him was that Nabiki was now his fiancée, and this was something he didn't think that his fiancée should be doing. When Nabiki was the sister of his fiancée, it wasn't an issue; Nabiki was Nabiki, and at best, a future sister-in-law. He wasn't going to have to live with her for the rest of his life.  
  
He didn't mind it when she "rented" him to the Martial Arts team on Friday, but there had to be a limit.  
  
Being engaged to her changed his perspective. He wasn't sure if he wanted a wife that worked, much less one that worked in a darker side of society. He was going to have to come to an agreement with her if they were going to get married.  
  
Get married. It wasn't even a week yet, and he was already thinking about being married to her. She sure had a way of drilling in a simple concept into his head.  
  
"Nabiki..."  
  
Nabiki crossed her arms and put on a stern face. "How am I going to make a little spending money? Do you know how much money those pictures bring in?"  
  
Ranma knew. He had overheard many different negotiations. It was astounding how much money she could bring in when she tried. It was still wrong to do it.  
  
"Nabiki..."  
  
Nabiki relaxed and broke her eye contact with Ranma. "Ranma, we need to work this out."  
  
The bell rang, and lunch was over. Everyone, including Ranma and Nabiki, started walking back to the school.  
  
Nabiki continued as they walked in. "We'll talk about this at home. Okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess." 


	3. Chapter 3 Settling Down

Chapter 3 - Settling Down  
  
Nabiki sat at the table with her father and Kasumi. Ranma and woken up early that morning and insisted on going for a run. When she complained of sore muscles, he pulled out two asprin and a glass of water. It was hard going at first, but Ranma stayed beside her, extorting her to take the next step.  
  
An hour later, and after taking a soak, she had to admit that the run did loosen her muscles and relieved her soreness. She still hurt, though. Most excruciating was bending over to reach her cup of tea.  
  
"Are you alright, Nabiki?" Kasumi mothered.  
  
Nabiki put her cup down on the table and winced in pain.  
  
Her father looked up from the newspaper. "Are you sure about this, Nabiki?" he asked. He put the paper down and looked at his daughter and continued. "You know it doesn't matter to me which of my daughters marry Ranma. I only want you to be happy with your decision."  
  
"I..." Nabiki started to answer before Kasumi interrupted.  
  
"Father, Nabiki has said that she wants to sell the Dojo and live off the profits."  
  
Soun Tendo rushed to Nabiki and grabbed her shoulders and looked her sternly in her eyes. "Nabiki! You must renounce your engagement to Ranma!"  
  
"No, Father. I won't. I am going to marry Ranma."  
  
"I forbid you! If you sell the Dojo, the school will disappear! That must never happen!"  
  
Nabiki looked into her father's eyes and saw fear and terror in his eyes. She tried to remember when she said she'd sell the dojo, and failed. It wasn't like Kasumi to bring something like that up unless she did make such a statement in the past, so she reasoned that she really might have said that she would sell the Dojo. The circumstances now are certainly different than that of the time she made the offending statement; now she was engaged to a top martial artist who would need the Dojo, and she had just started training after a many year absence. For the moment, she needed it.  
  
She was certain that Ranma would never sell the Dojo unless there was something to replace it. And even then, she doubted that he would sell it even in that case; more than once he called the Tendo compound "home." No, he wouldn't want to sell it, and she doubted that she could convince him if his roots set any deeper.  
  
"Daddy, I'm not going to sell the Dojo. Ranma needs it, and so do I. And if we are ever to start teaching again, we'll need it."  
  
Soun took his arms off his daughter's shoulders and looked at her. "You sure."  
  
"Yes, Father. I promise I will not sell the Dojo." She was happy she left the loop-hole of Ranma possibly selling the Dojo if it became absolutely necessary.  
  
Soun sat back down in his place and grabbed the newspaper. "Good."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Nabiki and Ranma were in her room. Ranma was replacing the bandage on her forehead and making sure there weren't any signs of infection.  
  
"So that whole thing yesterday was set up by Akane?" Ranma asked.  
  
"I think so. I'm almost positive she created the flyers, and I'll bet she made sure that Kodachi and Shampoo knew of Ukyo's challenge."  
  
Nabiki looked at him and saw that he had a crushed look on his face. "You liked her, didn't you?"  
  
"What?!" He paused a moment. "That tomboy? No way!"  
  
Nabiki noticed that Ranma wasn't as vehement as he normally was. "That's okay Ranma, I think I know how you feel."  
  
Ranma put a band-aid on her forehead and back away a little. Nabiki brushed a lock of hair away and curious, leaned up and peered into the mirror. Satisfied that the bruise wasn't too visible and that the band-aid didn't make her look too much like a misfit, she sat down again.  
  
"Ranma, what do you think about our engagement?"  
  
"I dunno. I was engaged to Akane for so long, I guess it hasn't really sat in yet." He looked at the older girl and continued after a pause. "You haven't hit me yet. This is the longest time I think I've ever gone without being hit by a fiancée."  
  
Nabiki smiled.  
  
"And you haven't yet taken all the money I have."  
  
Nabiki looked at him with a hurt face. When Ranma panicked, she smiled at him. "Well, I think that would be pointless. Once we're married, I'll have it all anyway."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Oh, come on Ranma. You did know that the wife is responsible for all financial matters in the household, didn't you?"  
  
Ranma scratched the top of head. "Uh. I guess I do now," he said. Ranma finished putting the first-aid kit back together and then asked, "You're serious aren't you?"  
  
Nabiki captured his eyes, "Didn't my getting you up in the middle of the night for a talk convince you? Or the fact that I'm actually practiced the art for one day mean anything?"  
  
Meekly, Ranma responded with, "I guess you are."  
  
Nabiki grabbed a towel and stood up. "Come on Ranma. You said you were going to show me how to kick this morning."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Bored in class the following Monday, Ranma tossed a note to Akane that simply said, "You still mad?" A moment later it came back to him. He unwrapped it, and read the one word reply, "Idiot!" Being trained that an insult requires a response, he scribbled his response of, "Who's the idiot, idiot?"  
  
The return message was a book thrown at Ranma's face. Inside the book was her reply, "Idiot!" written several times inside its cover.  
  
Ranma slammed the book on his desk and shouted, "Damn it, Akane! Will you quit being so stubborn!"  
  
Akane stood and answered the challenge, "So what! You want to fight about this?"  
  
A moment later, they both found themselves standing the hallway, holding buckets of water. Neither of them looked at each other.  
  
"This is stupid," Ranma said. "You're the one with the hate thing going on."  
  
Akane kept her eyes on the far wall as she responded. "What's wrong? Don't you like Nabiki?"  
  
Ranma looked at Akane as he considered his answer. It was not only what she said, but also how she said it. It almost sounded as a challenge, so he responded in kind, "As a matter of fact, I do like her. She's been nice to me so far, and she isn't prone to strange mood swings. And now that I think about it, she's kinda pretty."  
  
Akane turned to see Ranma looking at her, and he continued, "So still want to fight about it?"  
  
The expression on Akane's face softened a little. "No. It's not worth fighting over."  
  
Ranma thought the expression on Akane's face was kind of cute. "So, are you going to make up with her?"  
  
Akane's face hardened a little for a second and then it relaxed into sadness. "I don't know if I can. What I did was pretty harsh."  
  
"I think Nabiki would forgive you if you asked."  
  
"Me forgive her? She should give me the apology! She took what is mine!"  
  
"But you took them all back. And she promised not to do it again."  
  
"Augh!" Akane threw her bucket at Ranma. "You IDIOT!"  
  
Ranma, now a girl, watched a tear form in Akane's eye. Akane turned and dashed down the hallway.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Ranma met Nabiki under a Sakura tree at the end of lunch. "What did you say to Akane?"  
  
Ranma turned around in embarrassment. "Um, well..." He tried to collect his thoughts for the moment. Nabiki's question meant that Akane ran up to her. "I asked her to apologize to you."  
  
"You mean when you told her that you like me?" The whole school either head Akane calling Ranma an idiot, or had heard about it via an incredibly accurate grapevine.  
  
He liked all the Tendo girls, but he actually said he liked Nabiki, and the whole school knows he said it. He didn't like her in a romantic sort of way, and he certainly wouldn't call her a "best friend". But he did like her. Could he fall in love with Nabiki? Could she be a good wife? He didn't know, but now that he was engaged to her, he had the opportunity to find out. From his point of view, he was still very leery of Nabiki and her mercenary and Machiavellian view of the world, but that was the public persona she had; she may (he hoped) had a more personable side to her in private. At least this time, he had the experience of making mistakes with Akane.  
  
Akane. A pang of regret washed over him when he thought of her. He really did like her, but if his father or her father ever heard that, they would have been married within hours of his admission. He acknowledged his feelings but soldiered on. His father taught him that regrets don't fix the past and that it's better to do better in the future. Eventually, he intellectually knew, he'd get over it.  
  
He quickly looked at Nabiki from the corner of his eye and turned away again. Ranma at the ground and rubbed his hands together in nervousness. He moved his mouth, but he couldn't get his vocal cords to work.  
  
"I didn't hear you, Ranma."  
  
Ranma peeked back towards Nabiki and saw that she was looking away. He guessed by her body language that she had an emotional investment in his answer. Ranma started sweating. "Yeah. I said I like you."  
  
Nabiki came up to Ranma and stood very close to him. She peered up at his face stared into his eyes and asked, "You like me?"  
  
"Yeah. Uh, I like you...."  
  
Nabiki's eyes brightened and she broke into a smile. "Oh! I'm so happy! Nobody ever said they liked me before!"  
  
Ranma stood there, afraid that she was going to give him an Amazon style hug, but when she stood there with a goofy smile on her face and her hands holding her cheeks, he figured he was safe for the moment. The expression on her face changed to something a little more serious, but she still smiled.  
  
"Stay here for a moment, Ranma. I'll be right back."  
  
Ranma leaned against the tree and watched Nabiki run off to a group of boys under a nearby tree. He was trying to make sense of what he said earlier when he made his confession to Akane. It was amazing how so few words could change a person's life. He started to worry that his comment was going to taken out of context. He did like Nabiki, and he hoped that Nabiki wouldn't turn into another Ukyo, Shampoo, or Kodachi.  
  
He turned around and saw Nabiki standing next to him with her hands behind her back. "Hey, um, Nabiki?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Ranma saw some papers drop behind Nabiki. "Oops!" she said  
  
It was easy to see that they were photographs of his girl form. He picked up a few and looked at them. "What are these, exactly?"  
  
Nabiki closed her eyes as she responded, "Oh, Ranma. How would it look if I didn't carry pictures of my fiancée?"  
  
Ranma looked at Nabiki and wasn't fooled. She had a long history of selling pictures of him half naked. He became angry and called her out, "You were selling them."  
  
Nabiki put on a hurt look. "Only the duplicates."  
  
Ranma looked at the photos. On one level, he didn't consider that the girl in the pictures was really him. Ranma Saotome was a male, and the female part was just a curse he had to bear until he could find way to get rid of the damn thing. But, it was him. Everything that happened to her was in his memories. Her life was his. This was one of those situations where he had to accept his curse and deal with his feminine side.  
  
Many of the pictures were of him running around the house, a few were of him in some fight with an unseen opponent. He noted that most of the pictures were of him without a top on, but that didn't bother him, as modesty wasn't something he cared much for. What bothered him was that Nabiki was now his fiancée, and this was something he didn't think that his fiancée should be doing. When Nabiki was the sister of his fiancée, it wasn't an issue; Nabiki was Nabiki, and at best, a future sister-in-law. He wasn't going to have to live with her for the rest of his life.  
  
He didn't mind it when she "rented" him to the Martial Arts team on Friday, but there had to be a limit.  
  
Being engaged to her changed his perspective. He wasn't sure if he wanted a wife that worked, much less one that worked in a darker side of society. He was going to have to come to an agreement with her if they were going to get married.  
  
Get married. It wasn't even a week yet, and he was already thinking about being married to her. She sure had a way of drilling in a simple concept into his head.  
  
"Nabiki..."  
  
Nabiki crossed her arms and put on a stern face. "How am I going to make a little spending money? Do you know how much money those pictures bring in?"  
  
Ranma knew. He had overheard many different negotiations. It was astounding how much money she could bring in when she tried. It was still wrong to do it.  
  
"Nabiki..."  
  
Nabiki relaxed and broke her eye contact with Ranma. "Ranma, we need to work this out."  
  
The bell rang, and lunch was over. Everyone, including Ranma and Nabiki, started walking back to the school.  
  
Nabiki continued as they walked in. "We'll talk about this at home. Okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess."  
  
* * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * ** * * * * * * *  
  
Chapter 4 - Not Ready, but Getting Ready  
  
Nabiki and Ranma arrived to a silent house when they arrived at home after school. They walked past the kitchen and saw that a small flash of something in the tea-room. Ranma took the lead and carefully entered the room, ready to defend himself from an attack. Nabiki took her place at the entrance, ready to bolt for the front door if she needed to.  
  
"Surprise!" The doors to the engawa opened revealing Soun, Genma and Kasumi. Behind him a banner unfurled that said, "Congratulations Ranma and Nabiki!"  
  
Nabiki noted that the name "Akane" was crossed out and her name was written above it. She knew where this was going, and immediately tried to take control of the situation before something bad happened.  
  
"What are you congratulating us for?"  
  
"Your impending wedding!"  
  
"What wedding?"  
  
Nabiki grabbed Ranma by the shirt and pulled him into the hallway. She didn't let go of him when she started talking, "Saotome, listen to me. Do not say a word when we go back in there. Let me do all the talking."  
  
"I ain't getting married," he protested.  
  
"Ranma, what did I say? We are, I repeat, we are, getting married." Nabiki let go of his shirt but kept his attention by maintaining eye contact. "But we aren't getting married until we say we are getting married." Nabiki brushed a lock of hair away from her face, and smiled at him. She took a step away and indicated that he was to follow her back in.  
  
After nearly falling on top of the eavesdropping family members, Nabiki crossed her arms and waited for her father to say something. The wait was a little longer than she expected, as he was crying again, but she wasn't sure what for. Eventually, he spoke, "Nabiki is going to get married!"  
  
"And when do you think I'm getting married?" She tried to keep her voice level and even. Although this was very personal, it was also a business negotiation.  
  
Soun looked at his daughter and stopped crying long enough to say, "This weekend! We have everything planned! It'll be so beautiful!"  
  
Nabiki looked at Ranma and put on a smile that reeked of conspiracy. "So, Ranma, what do you think? Should we get married one year from this weekend?" She winked for good measure to let him know that she expected him to play along.  
  
"One year? Yeah, I guess that'll be okay."  
  
Nabiki walked up to the platter of food on the table and sat down. "Great!" she started. "Now Daddy, tell me about the wedding you have planned?"  
  
Soun's eyes dried and he stood in front of daughter. "Nabiki," he sternly said, "the wedding is this weekend. Not next year."  
  
Nabiki nonchalantly took a cookie and handed it to Ranma before taking a bite of her own. "Don't you think we should get to know each other before we get married? We haven't even been on a date yet."  
  
Soun looked at the fat man in the dingy white gi for support, and true to form, Genma was there for his friend.  
  
"But Ranma already said he liked you. Why wait?" Genma said.  
  
Nabiki shoved a cookie in Ranma's mouth to prevent him from answering. The action wasn't missed by anyone on the table. "Just because," she said, "he said he likes me doesn't mean we're ready to get married."  
  
Nabiki handed Ranma a cup full of milk so he could wash the massive cookie he was still chewing. "And just because I kind of like him too doesn't mean I'm ready to start having babies or anything like that."  
  
Ranma spewed the milk and cookies all over the table. Soun and Genma dropped their mouths in shock. And all Kasumi could do was say "Oh, my!"  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
After everyone recovered from her "like" and "baby" remark and the table was cleaned, the wedding negotiations began in earnest. At first Nabiki made good progress in making sure that the wedding wouldn't be until Ranma graduated at the earliest, and kept the cost of the wedding and reception down. Then there was the discussion of families, and the "baby" remark came back to haunt her.  
  
When told that she actually made the remark, she lost her objectivity and her father slipped in her name instead of Ranma's. The final agreement was that she and Ranma would get married after she graduated.  
  
Luck was on their side however, as Ranma spoke up and corrected Soun. He said that his daughter agreed to getting married after she graduated. Ranma caught him in a trap of words and pointed out that the agreement was "after", and not "when" or "as soon as". Ranma also pointed out the fact that the discussion was based upon his graduation.  
  
Nabiki recovered herself at this point, and said that the agreement is based upon graduations, and it wasn't specified which graduation. If one of them went to college or to trade school, the agreement applied to the final graduation, not the graduation from Furinkan.  
  
Kasumi spoke up at that point and asked what if they wanted to get married before then. Nabiki said if she and Ranma wanted to get married earlier, then they will.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Ranma was in Nabiki's room, supposedly studying but really was reflecting on the day's events. He sarcastically muttered to Nabiki, "That was a great job negotiating."  
  
Nabiki put her elbows on the desk and hung her head in her palms, "I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake."  
  
"And now you know our fathers are going to come up with every stupid plan in the book to make us want to get married soon.  
  
"If you think Akane and I had it bad, you just wait and see." Ranma shivered at the memory of the look of his father's and Soun's eyes when Nabiki said they might get married sooner.  
  
They both studied for the next hour or so. Ranma wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he noted that Nabiki changed the tape in her player twice before she called it quits for the night.  
  
She stretched lazily and leaned back in her chair. The workout that afternoon after the negotiations was very hard. It was obvious to her that Ranma was using the session as a way to work out the stress he just went through. As a result, he pushed her a little harder than he had the previous two times.  
  
"Ranma?" she asked sleepily, "Can you give me another back rub?"  
  
And it ended with another cry of, "Pervert!"  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"So, son. When are you going to take her out on a date?" Genma and Soun were sitting at the shogi table and were looking at the board hoping the color of the pieces would change to their liking.  
  
"Yes, Ranma. My daughter said she had not been on a date with you yet. You don't want to disappoint her, do you?"  
  
"Uh, no. I dunno. This weekend, maybe?"  
  
"Excellent!" the father chorused.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Nabiki's first date with Ranma was about to start, she found herself standing in front of a hedge-maze, waiting for her fiancée. She took a deep breath and felt the strap of the purse she held in her hands, reminding herself that she vowed that she wouldn't look at her watch to find out what time it was. Nabiki had arrived at the park a little early to scout out potential escape routes if they were interrupted, and since that took less time than she anticipated, she had a bit of free time on her hands.  
  
The afternoon in the maze wasn't she wanted on a date; she would have preferred to be taken out for dinner and dancing, but that may have been asking too much of Ranma. As it was, he probably was pressured to ask her out. She was a little surprised when he did ask her, she was almost willing to bet that she was going to have to ask him to go out with her.  
  
She pulled the compact out of her purse and checked her hair and make-up one last time. She was taught that first impressions were important, and that was why she wore the kimono when Ranma first arrived. Even though they've known each other for a few months, she thought that they were starting all over again, and she wanted to make sure he had a positive impression of her.  
  
She took her time getting ready for the date that morning, not because she was excited about going out with Ranma, but because she used the time to plan what she was going to do with him. She had to be careful that she didn't push him away, but she didn't want to turn him into a lovesick puppy dog either.  
  
She had to plan for the other fiancées as well. She knew she had a tough battle keeping Ranma from straying to Ukyo or Shampoo. In the race for Ranma, the other girls had a head start, and as a latecomer, she has a lot of catching up to do. She knew she had a chance, simply because the other girls often became too possessive and demanding of his attentions. If she could find the balance between possessiveness and freedom and avoid getting into battles with everyone else, she figured she could quickly catch up and possibly pass the other girls.  
  
Nabiki had a basic plan that she was going to follow: she was going to gain Ranma's trust and confidence. She was experienced in gating a person's trust; it was one of the most important tools in her line of "work." She knew how to get a person to open up and to listen to her ideas and accept them. She had the patience to work her way through a person's defenses and find the necessary catches for her hooks. But what she needed was time.  
  
She wasn't under the illusion it was going to be an easy task. It would be easy enough to drive him away or to keep him at arms length; she's been doing that for months now. But now she was the hunter and he was the prey, and she wanted to bring him in carefully so that he wouldn't know he'd been bagged.  
  
She had another worry as well. Did she like Ranma enough to stick to her resolution? And if she did, was there a danger of falling for him? It was possible that she could, for he did have that rough edge that made him attractive.  
  
In the back of her mind, in an unconscious corner, one incident replayed itself over and over again -- Ranma said she liked her, aloud and never denied it that she knew of. She knew his admission wasn't because of romantic feelings, but it was sincere. It touched her, and she didn't know how much until she accidentally said that she liked Ranma.  
  
And now her date was about to start.  
  
"Nabiki!"  
  
She turned around to see Ranma approaching with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. It looked to be roses from the distance. As he closed in, she saw that the wrapping was badly wrinkled. It was obvious that he had a rough time making it to the date.  
  
"Hello, Ranma." Nabiki said. She ignored the flowers in his hands with the hope that he'll try to do it right. Maybe he learned something about courting girls from Akane.  
  
Ranma looked a little nervous and his eyes darted to the sides before saying anything. His "hi, Nabiki" was a little uneasy. Nabiki watched his face turn a little red.  
  
"Sorry about these roses I brought for you. I had a run in with Shampoo, and she thought that they were for her."  
  
Ranma sheepishly held out the bouquet. Nabiki gracefully took it and looked at the roses. Several of the stems were obviously broken, but the buds themselves were still in perfect shape. Given Ranma' story, she was impressed with his determination to protect her flowers. She smiled and nodded her head, "Thank you, Ranma!"  
  
Ranma quietly led her to the entrance of the maze and took one last look around before letting out a sigh.  
  
"What is it, Ranma? You look nervous." Nabiki said as she stepped into the maze. It was the first time in it for her, and she was curious how long it would take the two of them to come out the other side.  
  
"Just making sure nobody else is following me."  
  
Ranma and Nabiki stepped out of the maze to see Ukyo and her portable Okonomiyaki cart. Ukyo was waving enthusiastically at them, so the two strolled over.  
  
"Hi, Uc-chan! I'm surprised to see you here today."  
  
The chef put on a happy face and wiped her hands on her apron as she said, "Oh, I thought I needed a change of scenery."  
  
Nabiki's voice lacked warmth, but was at least polite. "Hello, Ukyo."  
  
Ukyo didn't even acknowledge Nabiki. Instead, she started talking to Ranma, saying, "How could you go out with that heartless woman?"  
  
And without missing a beat, Ukyo then turned to Nabiki, "And you should give up. My Ran-chan will see whatever cruel plan you have in mind for him. And when he does, he'll come running to me."  
  
Ranma started to sweat. Ukyo was challenging Nabiki, and if it escalated to violence, the more experienced Ukyo would easily beat Nabiki. He had to ensure that the battle stayed verbal.  
  
"I doubt that will ever happen, Ukyo. You see, I'm not Akane. I won't go hitting him whenever he makes a mistake. And if we ever fight, I hope we can work it out like two civilized people."  
  
Ukyo regarded her opponent for a moment before responding, "I don't know what you see in this ugly, old woman anyway. I'm your cute fiancée."  
  
Nabiki looked at Ranma and saw an opportunity; Ukyo made a very bad tactical mistake. She put on a hurt face and started to force tears into her eyes and started to sob, "You think I'm too ugly and old for you?"  
  
As Nabiki predicted, Ranma started to go into hysterics. Ranma waved his arms and stuttered, "Eep! Aaaah! Errr. No. No. I don't care about age."  
  
Nabiki looked up at him, and egged him on, "You don't?"  
  
Ranma gained enough composure to not stutter, "Nope. Not at all."  
  
Nabiki stepped away and stared at Ukyo in defiance for a moment before looking at Ranma again. It was time to play the second part of her plan.  
  
"Ranma. She was mean. She said I was ugly." Again, she put on her hurt puppy-dog look that was irresistible to Ranma. She wasn't disappointed in the results. His voice, though, was surprisingly confident.  
  
"You're not ugly, Nabiki. You're pretty. I said that before."  
  
Nabiki noticed that Ranma was actually looking at her when he made the claim. She knew that she was honest when he said that, and it was an ego boost that she didn't expect. Nabiki looked over to Ukyo and saw that Okonomiyaki chef was hurt.  
  
Knowing that she had won this round, Nabiki took Ranma's arm and escorted him away, saying, "Since you've been so nice to me today, I'm treating you to ice cream."  
  
---------------------------  
  
I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to finishing this thing. I may end up merging it with another story that is also stalled.  
  
Whatever.  
  
I hope you enjoyed it... 


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